218961 Fri Feb 11 11:25:03 -0800 2005 12 18 Manhattan 0 1165675 Ok, so I'm a little bit proud about what I did last night, and also a little bit embarrassed. It normally is not my style to do something like this, but I did it, and was amazed at how well it worked. I wanted to get a last minute reservation for two at a restaurant that is reputed to be one of NYC's most difficult reservations. On this board, this particular restaurant generally is highly regarded, although there are some that think it is overrated and overpriced. I called the reservations number and was surprised to actually get through at about 5:00pm yesterday. I asked for a table for two, and was told that one would be available at 9:45. I asked if I could possible get one at 7:30 or 8:00, and assured them that we would be ordering some good wine. She said I'd have to speak with the maitre d' and put me on hold. He came on the line and I gave him the same pitch. He told me to come in at 7:30 and he would take care of me. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised: all it took was a vague promise of ordering a nice bottle of wine and I was able to get a prime reservation. So we showed up and I introduced myself to the maitre d'. He promptly showed us to a table, and I slipped him $50 to thank him. (I generally am a generous tipper, but have never tipped a maitre d' -- let alone bribed my way into a restaurant -- before in my life.) Five minutes later he came back to the table and handed me a business card with his cell phone number written on the back. He told me to call him any time, and he would take care of me. We had a wonderful dinner, and did in fact order a very nice bottle of wine. Assuming the maitre 'd honors his word (I have every reason to believe that he will), I'd say it was $50 well spent. Fri Feb 11 11:25:03 -0800 2005 0 Nor'easter 1 1165676 Well done. Fri Feb 11 11:26:48 -0800 2005 1165675 0 Nina W. 1 1165678 ...makes the world go 'round Fri Feb 11 11:31:23 -0800 2005 1165675 0 1 1165689 That is so awesome! I'm always afraid of doing stuff like that, in case I get the "are you trying to bribe me?!" But I guess that's a lot more likely with cops than with maitre d's. :) Fri Feb 11 12:03:40 -0800 2005 1165675 0 Dag 1 1165690 It certainly is good to be rich. O_O Fri Feb 11 12:03:59 -0800 2005 1165675 0 Lupa 1 1165697 Onlookers will likely want to chime in with their own stories of bribery and other restaurant strategies. We cover these sorts of general restaurant issues on our General Topics board, so we can 1. keep this board useful to locals trying to find local deliciousness, and 2. ensure that restaurant strategy talk is seen/enjoyed/contributed to by the community at large. If someone would like to reply, please do so by starting a new discussion on General Topics (referencing this discussion), and posting a "heads up" here to let readers along know to make the jump to the new thread. Fri Feb 11 12:13:51 -0800 2005 1165675 2 The Chowhound Team 2 1165797 I have picked up this topic to the General Topics Board. Fri Feb 11 17:59:57 -0800 2005 1165697 0 Flynn 3 1165807 May I make a humble suggestion to the moderators? It would be nice to have links to other boards on this board somewhere, maybe near the top. Just to boards that people on this board might be interested in, like Outer Boroughs and General Topics. Shouldn't be too hard. (my 2 cents) Fri Feb 11 19:23:46 -0800 2005 1165797 0 Spud 1 1165762 So are you going to have to give him a fifty every time you call that number? Because for that cash you should at least get a happy ending when the meal's over. Fri Feb 11 17:01:34 -0800 2005 1165675 0 Spud 2 1165767 Trust me, I'm not looking for a happy ending from the guy I gave the fifty to. To appease the moderators, I have reposted on the General Topics board. The link is below: Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/299811#1663113 Fri Feb 11 17:07:48 -0800 2005 1165762 0 Nor'easter 3 1165806 That was just a bad joke. But seriously, do you have to cough up the 50 every time? I dunno. Fri Feb 11 19:20:54 -0800 2005 1165767 0 Spud 4 1165809 Whatever his exact future expectations might be, you can bet he wasn't offering lifetime service for a single $50 "tip"... Fri Feb 11 20:44:12 -0800 2005 1165806 0 MikeG 2 1165831 "A happy ending" That was the funniest thing I've heard all day!! LOL! Fri Feb 11 23:37:41 -0800 2005 1165762 0 Tristan